Tag Archives: novellas

There are a whole host of authors in the Ghostly Writes Anthology 2019, available to download from 31st October! Today, I welcome Karen Mossman onto my blog, to have a chat and find out more about her and her writing. We met on the Ghostly Writes Anthology group, so all I know is that she lives in North Wales!

1 How do you write? Is everything plotted, planned to perfection? Do you ever change tack as you go along or always stick to a pre-made plan?

I tend to get an idea, then play around with it in my head for a while, which could be weeks sometimes. Once I have a sense of it, I’ll start writing. Sometimes I just write scenes and then put them all together at the end. So definitely not planned to perfection!

2 Do you have a writing ritual? Meditation, certain cup for your tea, writing trousers?

No, absolutely nothing. As long as I have my lap top, I can let my fingers do the walking. Although on occasions I like to sit down with an empty page and just write and see what magic appears out of my pen.

I love a pen too!

3 Aside from writing, what makes you tick? Tell us 5 things about yourself we probably don’t know.

I love to craft, I go through craft like genres of writing. At the moment I am crocheting.

I’ve started giving talks to clubs and groups, one about books and the other about growing up with parents who fostered.

I lived all my life in a big city, and now I live in a rural area by the sea.

I’m always on a diet, and if I’m not, I should be!

I once ordered Sir Alex Ferguson out of a lift in anger, then realised who it was. He was very gracious. (Ex manager of Manchester United.)

Great answers!

4 If you were stranded on a desert island with shelter, food and water, what 5 items would you want with you?

My kindle with unlimited battery, or some books.

A pen and paper.

My dogs for company.

A swimming costume

Knickers!

5 On said island, what 5 books would you take and why?

Any books that I haven’t read before as I’m not a fan of re-reading a book unless it is acceptable. So I have at least five on my Kindle and they are:

The Anglesey Murders: Visit from the Devil by Connor Jones.

Just Rose by L. T. Marshall

Silent Night by Sahara Foley

Falling for Kate by J. M. Rally

Unveiled by J. M. Northup

6 Off the island now, which famous person would you like to have dinner with?­

I’ve never been a fan of meeting famous people. I would be far too intimiated and they would have better things to do than bother with the likes of me! So I would choose my mum and dad to have dinner with, simply because they have been gone for nine years now, and in that time questions have arisen that I will never have answers too.

7 Your current writing projects?

I have two on the go. I am rewriting my novel The Secret from first person point of view to third, as suggested by my publisher.

The other is called Crossing Serbia, it was a short story that I’m expanding into a novella. It is about a Tanya an aid worker during the time of the break up of Yugoslavia. While she is working with people trapped by war, she gets kidnapped by insurgents. A group of British soldiers are sent into rescue them and its about their journey across a war torn country. So, a politcal romance.

They both sound fascinating. Finishing up, please share with us your published work…

I have just entered my story to the halloween edition of Ghostly Writes, which is where I met you. In previous editions, I have entered stories I already have. This time I’ve used a story that I wrote some time ago but never did anything with after the first draft. It’s based on a true story, the haunting of a house where someone I know lives. I must say, I’m thrilled with how it turned out and can’t wait to see it in print.

Every other Monday I attend the Cwrtnewydd Scribblers writing group but this week, after a full weekend of chain sawing, chopping and barrowing wood, I needed a day to make my bath bombs. I’ve been making my own since 2009.

My house hummed with the fragrance of Magical Bathtime as I hand blended my ingredients and added healing essential oils. Bath bombs are abundant in the shops but I wanted to create some that not only smelled fabulous but did you good too, making skin feel luxurious and soft.

Tuesday is a dancing day, lunchtime and evening so I take writing into town with me and sit in the Mulberry Bush with a mug of green tea between lessons. This week numbers were down in the lunchtime class but they worked so hard! The two hour evening class focussed on dancing in groups and chorus, one hour slow followed by another of fast…even I had heavy legs for the drive home! Love my ladies. I’m a lucky teacher.

Thursday began with a regular private dance lesson which I love to teach. Dancers seeking private lessons are keen, dedicated and embrace the opportunity to improve…bliss for any teacher. Shopping next, making good use of the petrol it costs me to get to town and I frequent a variety of shops, small and large, spreading my limited pennies as best I can. I add items to my trolley for the local food bank and the animal shelter.

Today is Friday, often a ‘writing day’ but I’ve a host of other things to fit in as tomorrow is the Christmas Fayre at Lampeter University and I’m sharing a stall with Hayley (aka Haloquin/The Ringmaster) and her amazing Goblin Circus. I’ll be signing novels and novellas and selling my pixie coats for the first time. I’ve bought pixie coats fair trade from a friend who lives in India, for seven years and thought I would share them with the lovely folk of Wales.

I can only fit the short length on my rail but hope they make a colourful spectacle at the fayre and I’ll have a range of the long length with me.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of my books, you can find them all listed here: